Co-op concepts and ideas anyone?

KentT · May 8, 2006

( In general, I like the idea of creating a better marketplace for used PT attachments. I have an 18” auger but no post hole digger (sold the original PHD to the neighbor). I’d like to have a PHD again but don’t have a compelling need at the moment and can’t justify the expense. However, I keep the auger because, someday, I will buy another PHD. In the interim, prices keep going up and I won’t be able to find a used one when I’m ready. If there was a ready market for used PT attachments, I would sell it now and buy a used one when and if I ever needed it again.

The other advantage of a better market is that prices could find their natural equilibrium. When I’ve priced used PT attachments in the past, I find that the sellers usually fall into one of two camps. One group realizes the market for used PT attachments is very small and, therefore, prices the attachment very aggressively so it will sell. Usually this is around 50% or so of current list price. The other group wants to recover as much of the original purchase price as possible and usually charges 80%+ of list. If a good marketplace existed, like eBay has for many items, one could get a “feel” for the reasonable value of the item by watching historical sales prices. This would help both buyers and sellers because a “fair” price would be easier to determine.
)
Your perspective mirrors my experience exactly -- I can't sell a used 60" finish mower for 1/2 the price of new, yet when I've gotten prices from others they want 80% of the new price....

So, I've neither bought nor sold any used attachments... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

MossRoad · May 8, 2006

Buy it for life! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Boy, wouldn't that be nice if we could all afford every attachement just to have around in case we needed it again?

I tend to buy stuff and keep it forever. But I don't buy it unless I'm going to use it enough to justify the cost. If I had 50 post holes to dig, I would probably skip a post hole digger. However, we have about 4000' of property lines that I would like to fence off as time permits. I can justify it for that.

I could justify the forks because I could see the uses beyond lifting pallets. I use it for digging, bush trasplanting, brush removal, etc...

My least used attachment is now the snowblade, but only because it stopped snowing here as compared to several years ago. I was able to justify it because it use to snow a lot.

Two buckets seemed kind of extravagant. Now that I have them, I think I could get by without the small one, but it is nice to have one with teeth and one without. It is borderline justifiable to me. Time saved taking off a tooth bar VS the few hundred for the bucket... close call. If I had to do it over again, I would still get the large bucket and the 4-in-1.

Brush hog is worth its weight in gold once you put solid tires on the front. I only use it maybe 10 hours a year, but the time savings are fantastic VS any other method of trail clearing. This weekend I spent about 3 hours making 200+ yards of trails through HEAVY brush, re-mowing some existing trails, and clearing out the underbrush in preparation for tree removal where we want to build. Those three hours would have taken 30 hours with chainsaws, loppers, weedeaters, etc...

I guess what I'm trying to say is we need to look at long term investment VS rental. Which one suits the job that you need to do? Knowing that the used PT implement market is small and prices are high for the buyer and low for the seller, we really have to justify the purchases before we make them because we probably won't get our money back on a slightly used implement. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

J_J · May 8, 2006

You guys do realize that the seller is usually trying to recoup some of his miss spent money, but if it is just going to rust away or seals dry up, or just lay around and do nothing, you might as well get rid of it. I hate to get rid of things I buy, because most of the time I put some thought into it. Those impulse buys are another thing. Just got to have it right? After two years of non-use, It's time to sell of trade. As we get older, some of us do more, and some do less. That PT package that you have now could be sold or traded for something that fits your needs more.

Now, as the buyer, I would like to buy it for almost nothing. I believe 50 to 80 % is reasonable for used items. If it were not for the shipping, I would have bought things from some of you PT owners. I have stuff now that I may not ever use, For instance, My 6 ft.flail mower for the 1445 is probably a great implement. In some areas, you have to use flail mowers around schools, play grounds, etc. My Dixie Chopper does all of my grass cutting and bagging.

Trading is good, if you live close enough.

Things that I use the most are the things that I make.

MossRoad · May 9, 2006

After two years of non-use, It's time to sell of trade. 

Say it ain't so! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

My wife says the same thing. Unfortunately, I am of a different mind set. I still have all of my old toys from childhood and every thing else since. It is a mental disorder, for sure. Just keeping track of it all is a hobby by itself. I have everything in a database so at least I can find it if I want it.

funpilot · May 11, 2006

When I bought my PT 425 it came with a number of attachments I have never used: Post hole driller, grinder, back hoe, etc. Should I be running oil through them periodically?

KentT · May 11, 2006

( When I bought my PT 425 it came with a number of attachments I have never used: Post hole driller, grinder, back hoe, etc. Should I be running oil through them periodically? )
IMO, not as long as you're sure they have oil in them now -- i.e. they've been attached and used before....

Or, you could offer to sell them to someone else at a good price so you would no longer need to be concerned... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

funpilot · May 11, 2006

Do a search on my posts and you will see I got a number of attachments that were brand new when i bought this unit from Power-trac as used. Still have not used them. Send me a PM if you are interested. Snow Plow, Post hole driller and power head, Boom, plow, come quickly to mind. All new and kept in my shed.